Does Alex Ovechkin like Montreal? Very much. He has never hesitated to say so. His best hockey buddy is Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov; last time the Habs were in Washington, reporters wanting to talk with Ovechkin had to wait half an hour while Ovechkin and Markov chatted on the ice.

Ovechkin will be a restricted free agent after this season. This year, he's earning a mere $1.3 million and the Washington Capitals thought they could sign him for something similar to Sidney Crosby's contract, which works out to $8.7 million a year for five years.

But Ovechkin fired Don Meehan and turned his affairs over to a lawyer, with everything guided by his mother, Tatiana. Tatiana is apparently thinking something more in the $9-million to $10-million range.

This would be no bueno. Many of the rumors (oh yes, there are many, but all along similar speculative lines) point out that one of his motives for wanting to leave is that Washington isn't a "hockey-town".

Not many people in Washignton care about hockey. Ovechkin is here now and still no one cares. This town is all about football and seems as though just about any other sport is irrelevant. Maybe is the Capitals had a good team to surround Ovechkin with he might want to stay and people might go watch the games.

When was the last time a Washington Capital scored Four goals?, or a "Hat Trick?" Or gave anyone a reason to think about buying a game ticket?

I can't see selecting a player of this caliber and letting him get away. I just hope Ovechkin doesn't become the next Peter Bondra, a potential 50 goal scorer who never has any help, spends his career double-teamed, and has to play beyond his physical abilities to reach a goal scoring milestone.